TRADITIONAL, NOT CONVENTIONAL.

Latest Medical Propaganda (August 12, 2014)

There is a new “statement” from the American Heart Association (the same folks who brought you bloodletting, the medicinal use of mercury and Josef Mengele). Is it about the extraordinary number of stents and cardiac catheterizations that are done without any medical necessity? Or, could it be about cardiac bypasses, the most commonly done unnecessary surgery in the United States (HALF of them)? Oh, no. These courageous crusaders for public health and safety want you to know that “getting your neck adjusted by a chiropractor or osteopathic doctor may be associated with an increased risk of stroke.” "May be associated" -- wow, you can't get any more mealy-mouthed than that. Why did they make a statement instead of citing a study or other evidence? Because THERE ISN'T ANY EVIDENCE.

Here’s the substance behind the AHA statement in one sentence -- Some studies have found a correlation between neck manipulation and strokes from cervical artery dissection (that's when an artery in the neck tears) in people under 45. Now, since one of the main symptoms of CAD is neck pain and that’s why you adjust people's necks in the first place, AND because a stroke can occur as long as two months after the appearance of a CAD, I can’t say I’m surprised to hear this correlation. Surely there's something more? Nope.

About half of these cases of stroke-causing CAD are unknown in origin. The others are from trauma, and not necessarily severe trauma -- even minor trauma of the type experienced from sports such as yoga (that’s directly from the statement) can cause the occasional stroke. It’s theorized that neck manipulation can produce similar mild damage. Except we are still in pure speculation territory here because THERE'S NOT THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF EVIDENCE THAT IT DOES.

With no evidence that cervical manipulation causes arterial trauma of any kind, the minuscule number of such incidents yearly in the U.S. (especially versus the enormous number of neck manipulations), and nothing but a weak correlation to go on, this statement by the AHA has no grounding in anything but medical politics.

Do you still want to play it safe? Stroke IS a scary thing. Ok. Avoid yoga and vigorous sports (like golf) and getting your hair washed at the hairdresser in those cutaway sinks (it’s called “beauty parlor stroke syndrome” and is far better characterized than stroke from manipulation).

Want some actual pertinent advice? Here it is.

1) Do NOT “pop” your own neck EVER;2) Do not let anyone but a licensed chiropractor adjust your neck; 3) Be advised that NSAIDS cause 153 stroke deaths per one million people, that spinal surgery of the neck causes 500 stroke deaths per one million people, and that AT THE VERY MOST neck manipulation is associated with about one death per one to four million people due to the aforesaid cervical artery dissection.

What prompted this particularly uncalled-for piece of garbage, you ask? (You did ask, right?) Could it have been the stream of studies and surveys of the literature that in the last few years have been finding more and more evidence for manipulative treatment of spinal pain of all types, beating out surgery and medication and often even exercise as the most effective (and least dangerous) treatment? How wrong do these guys have to be before they'll finally admit it?

Want more information? Here, from the Tennessee Chiropractic Association

http://www.tnchiro.com/Articles.php?topic=13&story=100

and you can ask me anything anytime.

With all the known dangers of conventional medicine, even when its properly used, these clowns decide that they need to bend over backwards to issue a special "statement" about something with a lower incidence of injury than anything that THEY do. They should have one single treatment that is as safe and beneficial as spinal manipulation. Ptooie.